Perfect Homemade Butterscotch Sauce Recipe – Video

How to Make Perfect Homemade Butterscotch Sauce Recipe – Just three ingredients

Making homemade butterscotch sauce is easiest and most convenient because it uses the ingredients you probably already have on hand and takes no more than five minutes. This simple, easy and effortless butterscotch sauce recipe will have you drizzling butterscotch on anything from breakfast pancakes to vanilla ice cream for desserts.

Perfect Homemade Butterscotch Sauce – with just 3 ingredients

Now I must be honest with you. I made some delicious butterscotch recipes. And I’m not talking just about a butterscotch sauce. I’m talking Butterscotch Cake (coming soon) Butterscotch Cupcakes with Butterscotch Buttercream. Have you tried my Valentine Butterscotch cake for two which can be made in the oven or microwave in just two minutes? And then there is my Butterscotch Chocolate Pecan Squares.
But realized I must share with you the Butterscotch sauce first – because I do use this sauce in my buttercream recipe. So yes, in the coming weeks look forward to amazing butterscotch inspired recipes.. Yum.!!

The BEST Butterscotch Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream and Butterscotch Sauce.

Butterscotch Sauce vs Caramel Sauce

Often I see people use the terms interchangeably not realizing they are completely different. Look and taste different too!

In fact, not long ago we were having ice cream and I ordered Butterscotch topping and Aadi ordered his with caramel. (See my caramel sauce in 5 mins recipe here)
Guess what? We both had the same sauce drizzled on top. When I asked the lady – she said yeah butterscotch and caramel is the same. So why the different names and she says – sounds fancy I guess!!

So NO!! Butterscotch and Caramel are NOT the same nor do they taste the same.

I think caramel is smother than butterscotch

Butterscotch is sweeter than caramel. Caramel has a slightly bitter taste of the caramelized sugar.

Most importantly caramel is made with white sugar while butterscotch is made with brown sugar. And the molasses in the brown sugar is what sets them distinctly apart from each other.

While they do look similar the process to make them is not really same, perhaps similar.

Brown Sugar – Yes, if you making butterscotch you do have to use brown sugar not white sugar. The molasses in the brown sugar is what gives butterscotch it’s unique flavor. You can use light or dark brown sugar – the dark brown has a more intense flavor from the molasses. It’s a personal preference – I have tried to use half light brown and half dark brown but my personal preference is all light brown sugar

Light corn syrup – This is an invert sugar and prevents crystallization. You can omit this or you can also use glucose or honey instead.

Butter – it’s best to use butter not margarine in this recipe as margarine has a high water content which may not work very well.

Lemon juice – most online recipes do not use lemon juice. I do believe it helps melt the sugar and cut the sweetness. But also prevents it from going grainy.

Extract – I always add vanilla extract but you can omit or switch to some flavoring you like.

Salt – it’s optional but I do believe it really helps bring out the flavor by cutting down on the sweetness.

How to make Homemade Butterscotch Sauce Recipe – Butterscotch

Consistency is Key

The consistency at which you remove the butterscotch sauce from the heat depends on what you want to use it for. An important thing to remember is the sauce will thicken as it cools.

Pouring sauce – If you want to drizzle the sauce over desserts such as pies and ice creams. It’s best to take it off the heat about a minute or two after you add the cream.

As an ingredient – If you need to use it as one of the ingredients – like buttercream or tart filling -it’s best to have it a bit thicker. I cook it for about 3 to 4 minutes after adding the cream.

Toffee consistency – If you cook the sauce for a good 5 to 6 minutes after adding the cream – the sauce will be thicker and more intense – pour it in a lined and greased baking tray – when almost cool – cut into square or roll into balls.

How to make Homemade Butterscotch Sauce, Best Butterscotch Sauce Recipe EVER

How to make the Perfect Homemade Butterscotch Sauce Recipe, Best Butterscotch Sauce Recipe

How to make Homemade Butterscotch Sauce Recipe

Making homemade butterscotch sauce is easiest and most convenient because it uses the ingredient you probably already have on hand and takes no more than five minutes. This simple, easy and effortless butterscotch sauce recipe will have you drizzling butterscotch on anything from breakfast pancakes to vanilla ice cream for desserts.

Remove from heat when you reach your desired consistency (read note on consistency)

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Chef's Tips

Consistency is Key

The consistency at which you remove the butterscotch sauce from the heat depends on what you want to use it for. An important thing to remember is the sauce will thicken as it cools.

Pouring sauce - If you want to drizzle the sauce over desserts such as pies and ice creams. It's best to take it off the heat about a minute after you add the cream.

As an ingredient - If you need to use it as one of the ingredients - like buttercream or tart filling -it's best to have it a bit thicker. I cook it for about 2 to 3 minutes after adding the cream.

Toffee consistency - If you cook the sauce for a good 5 to 6 minutes after adding the cream - the sauce will be thicker and more intense - pour it in a lined and greased baking tray - when almost cool - cut into square or roll into balls.

Master the Basic and Dominate the Kitchen

One way to improve your cooking or baking skills is to get a grip on your basic recipes. Often it’s more easy and quicker than you think it is.
Simple things like making homemade caramel or butterscotch take five minutes but are so much better homemade.
Baking the perfect pie or pastry crust from scratch can make a huge difference to your homemade pies and desserts.
Did you know homemade buttermilk or condensed milk take less than 5 minutes as well? Yes!!
See some of my Basic Recipes with details or check out my Recipe Index for a list of all my recipes.

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About Veena Azmanov

Veena Azmanov is a professional Cake Artist and Food Enthusiast. The Founder, Editor, Creator and Recipe Developer on this blog. Follow her cake and food journey on this blog as she explores new and classic recipes with a twist.

I made this recipe 2x and I still have the same issue with it being runny. I left it at the med. to med high stage for 20 min and then let it cool and its still super runny. It thickens up slightly when cool but still drippy nothing even close to your pictures. Im not sure what I’m doing wrong. The first attempt I followed everything to the word and its runny, thats why I tried it again and let it boil longer thinking it would thicken up like you said but nope. Now it does taste great no doubt but its just not the consistency I was expecting.

Hey Linda, Usually the thickness comes when it cools completely if you have cooked it for a few minutes. Also, you can reduce the liquid ingredients in there to make it thicker. I hope to make a video to do this very soon. I make butterscotch truffles with these too. Cool completely, roll into small balls, then dip them in dark chocolate. Will try and share these recipe soon too.

Hi, Veena. Thanks for this post. I’m working on perfecting a sauce to top a Bundt cake that I’d like to enter into a competition, and most of the info I’m finding online is for troubleshooting CARAMEL sauces, not butterscotch or toffee. I have not tried your exact recipe yet — mine has the same ingredients but a different method — but I keep having the same problems with the recipe I AM using: the sauce is PERFECT when it’s warm, but it thickens and gets grainy upon cooling. Everything I’ve read is about how to avoid crystallization in the COOKING process, but my problem is crystallization happening AFTER IT COOLS. Do you have any advice? You seem to know your stuff when it comes to butterscotch!

Ah yes, sometimes that happens when butterscotch cool in the fridge. Mine usually does not crystallize because it has lemon juice. But I recommend testing it first.
The best way to prevent crystallizing is to add an invert sugar like corn syrup. If you replace half the sugar with corn syrup and then bring it to a boil, that should solve the crystallizing process even after it cools. I highly recommend making a small batch and testing it. If you can’t find corn syrup then glucose would work exactly the same way.
I have kept this recipe simple with only sugar because most people usually would not have an invert sugar or sometimes are intimated by the use of these. If you need to use for a competition I highly recommend you try this method. let me know how it goes. Happy to help troubleshoot. Best of luck.

Veena.. It was just YUMMMMM………. thanks for the recipe…
I am going to try the cupcakes now, but yet to decide on which frosting I will be doing.. will keep you posted on the outcome..
Also, could you please tell me Fresh cream in cupcakes recipe means the actual Fresh cream and not whipping cream.. sounds silly… but want to clarify… 🙂

Preeya -I’m sure they will turn out delicious. Yes, fresh cream and whipping are the same here – you get them in a carton in liquid form – 32 to 38 % is good. Do not whip just use in liquid form when requested in a batter.

This is definitely the best butterscotch sauce ever!! I made it three times already and we cannot get enough of it. It just melts in the mouth. It’s perfect on ice cream as well as whipped cream desserts – Thank you

Thank you Hose Swive, So happy to hear you had success with this recipe. Sounds delicious! Thank you for coming back to write this feedback, appreciate it very much. Always a great feeling to read such success and positive comments. Thank you.

You can leave it out for a day or two, longer if you enjoy good weather. But it does have milk so best keep it for longer in the fridge. If you need you can microwave it for a few seconds to bring to consistency

Hi there,
I have a question about an ingredient you used in butter scotch sauce and that is the fresh cream. To me, its a heavy whipping cream. Am I right? Also, I want to use this sauce as a mix-in ingredient for butter scotch ice cream with almond praline, what consistency should I need for this purpose? I want to make an eggless ice cream with the basic recipe and want to mix that sauce before I churn it. Please guide me accordingly.
Thanks in advance for your reply.

Ziq you can make a thick sauce consistency that coats the back of a wooden spoon. The consistency won’t be an issue if you mix a little at a time. Add a little of your ice cream mix in the sauce – and stir well to ensure it’s well combined. Then mix the whole batch. that way you will have a nice creamy consistency. And yes it’s whipped cream.

Sachita if you read the post I speak of consistency. If you follow the right consistency you should have a good cake filling. At some point I will also be sharing a butterscotch cake filling that I use. But that will take a while yet.

It’s funny that people would say butterscotch and caramel are the same, they definiltey aren’t! I always thought butterscotch also had a little rum flavor in it too, but I can’t remember. I do remember my dad making some caramel out of sweetened condensed milk when I was a kid